1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to an airship landing system and, in particular, to a furling system configured to cover a deployable landing system while the airship is in flight.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a renewed interest in lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicles, also referred to as airships, for uses such as cargo transport, telecommunications platforms, surveillance, emergency response, advertising platforms, and tourism, among others. Conventional LTA vehicles may be configured to dock to a tower while remaining aloft or to land on a flat open surface using wheels or skids or an air cushion landing system (ACLS), a system that includes one or more inflated pads and finger skirts to provide energy absorption during landing. Many conventional ACLSs have fixed configurations that increase the drag and reduce fuel efficiency during flight. More recently, some LTA vehicles include a dual-mode ACLS that inflates for landing and then deflates during flight. The conventional tools and techniques that enable the dual-mode ACLS system to transition between the landing mode and the flight mode are often impractical, inefficient, and prone to frequent failures.